Sukhbir Singh Badal

Sukhbir Singh Badal (born 9 July 1962) is an Indian politician and President of Shiromani Akali Dal, and is currently a member of Parliament from the Ferozpur. He served as Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab from 2009 to 2017. He is the son of Parkash Singh Badal, who has served several times as Chief Minister of Punjab.

Sukhbir Badal was born on 9 July 1962 in Faridkot. His mother's name is Surinder Kaur. Initially, he was educated at The Lawrence School, Sanawar. He completed an M.A. Hons School in Economics from Panjab University Chandigarh from 1980 to 1984 and an M.B.A from California State University, Los Angeles.

Sukhbir Singh Badal was a member of the 11th and 12th Lok Sabha, representing Faridkot. He was Union Minister of State for Industry in Second Vajpayee Ministry during 1998 to 1999. He was also a member of Rajya Sabha during 2001 to 2004. In 2004, he was re-elected from Faridkot for 14th Lok Sabha. He became the President of Akali Dal in January 2008. A year later in January 2009, he sworn as the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab. He was not the Member of Punjab Vidhan Sabha at that time. He resigned in July 2009, upon the completion of six-month period available for contesting elections for the assembly, during which he didn’t contested any elections. He was again appointed Deputy Chief Minister in August 2009 after winning by-elections from Jalalabad Assembly Constituency.

2012 Punjab elections

Akali Dal-BJP combined secured victory in the 2012 Punjab elections, beating anti-incumbency for the first time in Punjab. Sukhbir was re-elected from Jalalabad and remained Deputy Chief Minister. In the new government he held portfolio of Home, Governance Reforms, Housing, Excise and Taxation, Investment Promotion, Sports and Youth Services Welfare and Civil Aviation. This victory and later victory in Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee elections in January 2013 elevated the position of Sukhbir Singh Badal as an important leader in politics.

Sukhbir Badal defeated Bhagwant Mann of Aam Aadmi Party (MP Sangrur) and Ravneet Singh Bittu(MP Ludhiana) from INC in 2017 Assembly Elections, however, the SAD and BJP alliance was lost to Congress. In 2019, he was elected as Member Parliament of Ferozpur Lok Sabha Constituency by defeating Sher Singh Ghubaya of INC by securing more than 6 Lakh votes on 23 May 2019.

Controversies : Corruption and Moga molestation case

In April 2015, a teenage girl died and her mother was seriously injured when they were molested and thrown from a running bus near Gil village in Moga district. The Bus was operated by Orbit aviation, a company in which Badal has stakes.

Subsequently, it was revealed by news channels that the Chief Minister of Punjab gave the girls father with ₹30 lacs in compensation.

He is married to Harsimrat Kaur Badal on 21 November 1991. She is also a politician and presently Member of Parliament of India from Bathinda (Lok Sabha constituency) since 2009 and the union food processing minister under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His mother Surinder Kaur died on 24 May 2011 from throat and pancreatic cancer at PGIMER, Chandigarh. His son Anantbir Singh Badal made his first political appearance in 2019 before Indian general election.